NATURE and OBLIGATION of OATHS.

An ASSIZE SERMON.

265

LEV. xix. 12.5

And ye shall not fwear by my Name falfly, neither fbalt thou profane the Name of thy GOD: I am the LORD.

I

Will not go about to prove Vol. II
the Lawfulness of impofing
or taking an Oath; 'tis
enough that this is here
implied in the Text. For
it would be very abfurd

and impertinent to prefcribe what Rules

and

1

Vol. II. and Conditions Men ought to obferve in
Smearing, if it was utterly forbid in 'em
to Swear at all: The qualifying or regu-
lating an Action does fuppofe that Action
lawful and good when fo qualify'd and
regulated. Ifhall therefore take this for
granted, as the Text does, that it is law-
ful to Swear, and fhall only fet my felf to
imprint
Your Minds a jult Awe and
Reverence for an Oath.

16.

How neceffary this is to the Peace and Security of Government, to the faithful Discharge of Mens Trufts in almoft every Poft, to the Maintenance of Right and Property, and even to the Preservation of Life and Honour, I need not tell any one. Nor need I fhew how neceffary and fuitable this Argument is to the prefent Occafion. For Men verily (faith Heb. vi. St. Paul) fwear by the greater, and an Oath for Confirmation is to them an End of all Strife. And this is the Ufe of Oaths in Our Courts of Judicature. My Bufiness therefore now is to rescue Oaths from an irreligious Violation, to vefcue the Name of the most high God from Contempt and Profanation, and preferve the Souls of Men from that dreadful Guilt which Perjury loads them with: And this a ferious Reflection on the Words of my Text will, I hope, effectually contribute

to

to; and you shall not fwear by my Name Serm. falfly, neither shalt thou profane the Name XIV, of thy God: I am the Lord.

A

Altho' customary Oaths in common Conversation, on trifling Occafions, or none, may very well fall within the Compafs of the Text, being a most impudent and impious Profanation of God's Name; tho' this be a reigning Sin, and fo National, that I am afraid God will, at one time or other, vifit us for it; and confequently tho' it nearly concern all that are in Authority to employ their utmoft Zeal for fuppreffing and rooting out fuch a fatal Wickedness; yet I fhall not at prefent confider this, but handle the Text, as if I had nothing but legal Oaths in my View. I fhall therefore difcourfe of thefe Two Things.

I. The nature of an Qath.

II. The terrible Guilt of Perjury; and
then fhall conclude with a proper
Application.

I. The nature of an Oath. This, I think, is fit to be a little infifted upon, not only because the Guilt of Perjury will hereby appear the more evident, but becaufe I doubt there are very many who

hardly

Vol. II. hardly know what they do when they take an Oath, or at least make no Reffetion on the Religion of it. An Oath then is the invoking God to be a Witnefs of the Truth of that which we affert, or the Sincerity and Integrity of our Meaning in that which we promife to do hereafter. This Notion of an Oath is very plainly and fully contain'd in the Form of it commonly received amongst us, which confifts in thefe Words, So help me God, and the Contents of this Book, and in laying the Hand on the Bible and kiffing it. For all this is as much as if a Man fhould fay, I do firmly believe there is al God, an all-feeing and a holy God, a God, who as he is a Lover of Truth and Juftice, fo is he an inexorable Enemy of Falfhood and Wrong. I do moreover firmly believe that this Book is the Book of God, that it contains the Gospel of Chrift, the Covenant of Grace; and if I do not fpeak Truth, or if I do not make good what I promife, to the beft of my Power, I renounce the Protection and Patronage of God, I difclaim all Pretenfions to Mercy by the Covenant of Grace, and am content that the Vengeance of a juft God fhould overtake me. From this Account of an Oath you difcern,

1. That

1. That the Design and End of an Serm. Oath is to engage our Truth and Faith XIV. to give all the Firmnefs to our Testimo

ny and to our Promifes that we are capable of giving, and by Confequence to give others the greatest Affurance and Satisfaction they can defire. Hence is that of the Apostle, An Oath for Confirma, Heb. vi tion is to them an End of all Strife. And 16. in the fame place it is faid of God, Wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the Heirs of Promife the Immutability of his Counfel, confirm'd it by an Oath. Hence he that fwears is by Mofes faid to bind his Soal Numb with a Bond. For,

V. 17

XXX. 2

2. You difcern, that he who in an affertory Oath invokes God to be a Witness of the Truth of what he fays, does virtually and by confequence invoke him to be an Avenger of his Falfhood, if he be guilty of any. And fo he who invokes him in a promiffory Oath to be a Witness of the Uprightness of his Intentions at the prefent, and the Sincerity of his Endeavours to accomplish afterwards, that which he thus obliges himfelf to, does a virtually invoke him to punish his Perfidiousness, if he be guilty of it in either.

3. From this Account of an Oath you difcern, that whatever the Form of Words be, as there may be great Variety

in